Vncouver: Turkish Internet celebrity Mahir, famous for his hit dance tune I Kiss You, has planted one on Vancouver-based Noisemedia.

The self-proclaimed ambassador of peace and love – through distributors iPop in Canada and Universal Music in the U.S. – has commissioned the local Internet producer to create what is hailed as the world’s first Flash-animated music video.

The technology, says Noisemedia, allows the three-minute-plus project for the music channels and other broadcast and video outlets to be done in just four weeks (from signing of the contract to delivery) and on a budget of just $60,000. Traditional cel animation was dismissed as too expensive, says Andrew Graham, director of business development for film and television and the project’s producer.

In the Flash project, a caricature of Mahir carries his message from Turkey to Paris, London, San Francisco and New York. Graham says it will replace an inferior live-action video that hasn’t had much play.

Also key to the project are executive producers Trevor Carr and Richard Down and supervising directors Mike Howatson and Rob Berg. They say Noisemedia, which employs 30 in a Gastown studio, specializes in "producing animated cross-medium entertainment content."

Graham says a Mahir: Digital Man of Mystery cartoon series is in development. Another animated project, The Therapist, is in development with the voice of Andrew Dice Clay.

Second banana

The hockey sequels keep on coming. Hip checking for production space against Slapshot II is Most Valuable Primate II, the next installment of the hockey-playing chimp story owned by International Keystone Entertainment.

In this account, Jack the chimp is drafted by the Seattle team in the new NHL rival league called ZHL. At first he’s treated like a mascot, but he quickly proves to be a "rookie of the year" talent honing in on the team captain’s ego. But, alas, Jack is framed for an offense he did not commit, runs away, is befriended by a street kid, competes in a skateboarding contest, is cleared of the crime and has to get back to his team to play the championship game.

Production continues until April 27.

Keystone is most known by its Disney-distributed Air Bud franchise. Air Bud IV – which does for baseball-playing dogs what its predecessors did for canine basketball, football and soccer – is still in development.

Words from the wise

Gavin Wilding of Rampage Entertainment says he represents the "New World" of Canadian cinema – one that melds "Canadian Culture" with "Canadian Commerce."

The first product of this merger is Suddenly Naked, a "quirky sexy comedy" formerly called Show and Tell, supported by B.C. Film and Telefilm Canada and directed by Anne Wheeler.

In his production notes, Wilding says Suddenly Naked has the qualities of a commercially successful film – "sharp, funny dialogue, compelling characters and a vitality that is rare. All that in addition to some great sex scenes."

Best to let him explain his perspective on the Canadian scene for himself.

Excerpts of his essay sent to Playback:

"The bottom line is if Canadians don’t make movies people want to see there will be no ‘bums in seats’ – to quote Telefilm’s new policy. It’ll just be wasted tax dollars to indulge some director’s vision.

"The problem is a film is not an indulgent medium – painting a picture is. A film is an enormous fiscal commitment and it needs to be respected.

"Filmmakers releasing their own films say only one thing – the movies didn’t attract a distributor, which in turn means the movies were not perceived to have commercial potential. Period. Herein lies the problem. No commercial potential means no profit. No profit means no movie industry in Canada. Sorry folks – there just aren’t any rich uncles left and the government funding groups can’t keep this boat afloat. It has to be a business. The cultural aspect really has to take a back seat.

"No matter what movies we produce here, if Canadians produce them they will have ‘inherently’ Canadian culture and our point of view. There is no need to force Canadian culture down people’s throat.

"I think in some cases Canadian filmmakers/producers go out of their way to make a project so distinctly Canadian that it alienates the rest of the world. It’s pretty clear that the rest of the world can’t relate to our ‘Canadian’ movie. We’ve got a big problem. Let’s make movies that appeal to the whole world. A good model for this is Crocodile Dundee or Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.

"My dealings with Telefilm on our last production Suddenly Naked have been very impressive. They have considered their investment with the utmost respect. They treated each dollar like it was their last – you know, the way the rest of us do. Good for them!"

Wilding’s previous feature Christina’s House, an action thriller that he directed, was a box-office hit in both Italy and Mexico, according to the producer’s press notes.

Suddenly Naked, which stars Wendy Crewson and Peter Coyote, is distributed by Remstar and Wilding’s White Rock Film International. The film doesn’t have a release date, but will be unveiled during the Toronto International Film Festival.

Under pressure

Strike fears have the titles mounting up in Vancouver.

Unleashed is a feature for kids about a kung fu-fighting, back-talking dog who witnesses a murder. Jon Voigt plays an L.A. detective investigating the crime in the low-budget flick. Crews are at work until April 26.

Vancouver’s Lions Gate Entertainment wrapped production March 13 on the MOW Cabin Pressure. Craig Sheffer (The Devil Wore a Skirt) and locals Rachel Hayward (Call of the Wild) and Winston Reckert (Neon Rider) star.

And Undercover (or UC), a series pilot for 20th Century Fox and NBC, lists Danny DeVito as one of its executive producers. Pretty much self-explanatory: a cop goes undercover. The show is in production until April 4.

Fish bait

B.C. Film and CBC B.C. received almost 300 submissions to their smoked salmon-inspired short film contest The 2001: A Fill-This-Space Odyssey. To give you an idea of the popularity, other script contests at B.C. Film have generated up to 44 scripts.

* Vancouver-based aboriginal filmmaker Jeff Bear wrote and directed Burnt Church: Obstruction of Justice, a documentary about the Mikmaq "Lobster Wars" in New Brunswick in 1999/00. It airs on the Aboriginal People’s Television Network March 26 and 27.

* The book People Who Knock on the Door by Patricia Highsmith is being developed for the screen by Toronto writer Doug Taylor. Vancouver director Lynne Stopkewich (Kissed) and Vancouver producer Steve Hegyes (Dirty) are attached. And with Andras Hamori (Sunshine) involved, we might expect some marquee names and budgets. *